After the Hallows
by 78Book31Worm18
Summary: This story is a series of oneshots that follows Harry and Ginny from the end of the Deathly Hallows leading up to Nineteen Years Later.  There will be one chapter for every year.
1. August 1, 1998

**Hello everybody! Because Harry Potter is my favorite series, I decided I'd write a story for it. Enjoy!**

**August 1, 1998**

Harry Potter was sitting on the ground by the back door of the Burrow, absently tapping his wand on his shoe. Old boots, rusty cauldrons, and a few Flutterby bushes that were looking slightly wilted in the sweltering August heat surrounded him. Harry breathed in deeply watching the sun rise. He took off his glasses and closed his eyes, not to sleep but to contemplate the journey he had only so recently completed. Behind him, the towering house was silent, not a single person besides himself seemed to be up.

Exactly one year ago, Harry had begun his hunt for the Horcruxes with only Ron and Hermione at his side. It had plunged them into the depths of the unknown, never knowing if they were safe, if they could trust anyone but each other-

"Mind if I join you?" Harry opened his eyes with a start and looked around. A petite, redheaded figure was standing behind him. Harry reached for his glasses and realized it was Ginny. He shook his head, and she sat next to him, her arms wrapped around her legs and her head on his shoulder.

"I saw you sitting out here from my window. Are you okay?" asked Ginny merrily. Harry shrugged.

When Ginny spoke again, it was without any false cheer. "I know what you're thinking about, what you feel like. I've been thinking about it all night."

"I just can't believe that the wedding was a year ago- a year since we left. And all those people who were here then- Fred," Ginny winced," and Lupin and Tonks and all the others… they're gone now." Harry took a deep breath. The only noises were the musical chirps of the birds, who were unaware of the deep conversation that was transpiring between the young witch and wizard.

"Harry…" Ginny began. She looked up into his eyes and was surprised to see the pain in them. "They'll always be with us, you know, in here." She touched him, where his heart would be.

"You're always in there," he blurted out, having no idea why he had said that out loud. His face began to feel very hot.

Ginny blushed, the color of her face matching the fiery shade of her hair. "And you're always in here," she replied, touching her own heart. "Now come on, everyone else will be up soon." She took his hand, pulled him to his feet, and led him back through the door to the rest of the family.

Well, there it is. Please leave a review and tell me what you think!


	2. December 14, 1999

**So today, I came across this story completely by accident and it inspired me to start writing again. Also, big thanks to those who have favorite and reviewed it.**

**December 14, 1999**

"Conicio!" Harry waved his wand at the chair he was practicing on, which wobbled slightly. He had been practicing for the last hour for the first of series of three rigorous tests to become an auror. The tests were tomorrow, and if he didn't pass with flying colors, his dream of becoming a dark wizard catcher would be shattered. He had mastered all the other spells, but this one, which was _supposed_ to throw back your enemy, wasn't working for him.

Harry sat down on the snowy ground. He was staying at the Burrow for Christmas with the Weasleys. At first, he had been practicing in the kitchen while Mrs. Weasley cooked dinner, a savory beef stew, offering encouragement whenever he growled in frustration, but after an incident with several broken plates, she had thrown him into the garden. Now, along with failing miserably at the spell, he was cold, numb, and wet- the snow had seeped through his clothes.

"Ughhh," he groaned, rubbing his forehead. "This is hopeless."He briefly contemplated going inside, warming up by the fire, eating some of Mrs. Weasley's hot stew, and just hoping for the best the next day, but then realised that that would mean accepting defeat. The whole point of him becoming an Auror was so that he could continue to keep the people he loved safe. Harry got back to his feet stiffly and took aim at the chair again. "Conicio!" The chair jumped back maybe half a meter. He grinned. It was an improvement. He tried the spell again. "Conicio!" Harry snarled. This time, the chair flew back three meters. Relief washed over him. He was going to get it after all.

Harry took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He focused all his frustration and hatred for the chair into the spell and shouted once more, "Conicio!" The chair launched back, spinning through the air and finally thudding into the snow, twenty-five meters from where it started. "Yes!" Harry punched the air, elated. Using the same technique, he tried it again. "Conicio!" The chair flew back even farther.

"Conicio!"

"Conicio!"

"Harry? Dinner's ready." a voice said. Startled, Harry turned around, and reflexively shouted, "Conicio!" There was a shriek, and something flew back, a small figure with violent red hair that contrasted greatly with the snow…

Harry realized what he had done, who that was, and said weakly, "Oh my God." Horrified with himself, and completely stunned, Harry stood there for a moment, a moment that to him seemed like eternity. All he could see was the figure crumpled in the snow.

Abruptly, he came to his senses and shouted, "GINNY!" He sprinted over to where she lay. His heart was beating madly as he realized she was unconscious… "Mrs. Weasley! Help!" he yelled. Harry fumbled in his jacket pockets for his wand, his icy fingers slipping on the thin shaft. He brought it out, but his hand was shaking so badly, that he had to steady it with his other hand. "E-enervate," Harry said, unevenly. Ginny stirred feebly, but did not open her eyes. He cradled her head in his hands. "Ginny…Ginny please, please wake up," he begged, feeling like he was twelve years old again in the Chamber of Secrets. Vaguely, he heard Mrs. Weasley's shouts, but did not fully notice her until she was kneeling next to him. "Harry?" Mrs. Weasley asked forcefully. "Harry, what happened?" He only shook his head and choked out,"Help her. Please." He was not ashamed to see several tears fall onto Ginny's face.

Mrs. Weasley murmured an incantation that he could not hear. Ginny coughed and slowly opened her eyes, blinking several times. Harry gently hugged her to him. "Ginny! You're all right! I thought… I thought…"

"Harry, I'm fine. Really." At that moment, it began to snow. "Ginny?" Harry asked quietly. "Yeah?" she answered. Harry took a deep breath. "I love you. I just want you to know that." Ginny felt her breath catch in her throat. He had never said that to her… "I love you too, Harry. Always."

Neither of them noticed Mrs. Weasley wipe a tear from her cheek.

**I've had the beginning of this for a while, but never got around to finishing it. The next chapter is up- and longer! Please leave a review letting me know what you think, and how I can improve!**


	3. January 4, 2000

**Double update! Hooray!**

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><p><strong>January 4, 2000<strong>

Harry ran through Diagon Alley, his boots skidding a little on the ice and snow. The bitingly cold wind whipped through his cloak and stung his eyes. However, these were all only minor distractions. He was on his first Auror mission, having passed the training course only two weeks ago. He and two other Aurors, both much older than himself, had been sent to capture a man that the Department thought might be a Death Eater, at the very least a Snatcher. They had been following him for days until that morning in Knockturn Alley, when the man finally realized that he was being followed. The man tried to Apparate, but failed, as one of the Aurors with Harry, Thompson, had placed an Anti- Apparition jinx on him.

It was then that the chase had begun, the man darting into a side alley, Harry and the others following him until he had burst out onto Diagon Alley, clearly thinking that the crowd of shoppers would protect him from being hit by a curse from one of the Aurors.

_Well_, Harry thought, gritting his teeth, _it's certainly working_. He wouldn't be able to stun him, for fear of hitting an innocent bystander doing their shopping. As he pushed through the crowd, he caught snatches of the shoppers' conversations.

"Blimey!"

"Isn't that-"

"It's _Harry Potter_!"

He ignored their calls and shouted, "Move!"

Harry broke out of the crowd only to see the edge of the man's black robes disappear around the edge of a store. They rounded the corner just in time to see the man dive into a colorful robe shop packed with both witches and wizards. They burst into the shop, wands drawn, scanning the crowd for the black robed man. A few shrieks met their abrupt entrance. A plump, middle-aged sales witch wearing cranberry red robes and a matching hat decorated with holly, bustled in front of them exclaiming angrily, "Wands away gentlemen! Can't you read?" She pointed to the NO MAGIC ALLOWED sign hung on the door. "Sorry ma'am," Thompson said apologetically,"Auror business." She glanced up, caught sight of Harry, gave a small, "Oh!" and moved aside.

"Spread out, secure all exits, and scan the area. You two stay here," Thompson said, pointing at the other Auror, Findlay, and Harry. "I'm going to go out the back to look for him, but it's possible he may still be in here. Good luck." He clapped them both on the shoulder, then turned and disappeared into the crowd. Several shoppers who had been listening nearby turned and exited the shop, throwing them frightened glances as they left. "I'll get this side, you get the left," Harry said before pushing through the gawking people and tapping the front entrance with his wand and muttering, "Defigo," allowing no one but him to be able to unlock it. He continued on to secure the rest of the windows and the back door.

Just as he tapped the wood and murmured the incantation, he heard a metallic scrape from behind him. Harry whipped around holding his wand out and his heart hammering in his throat. His palms were sweaty and he shifted his grip on his wand, but there was no one else there. He was in the very back of the store, where only the ugliest robes were kept. He thought the sound had come from the circular rack of gaudy orange striped robes in front of him, perhaps one of the hangers moving on the metal rack…

_Where is he?_ Harry thought. He circled the rack, his eyes never leaving it. "Who's there?" he called out, feeling slightly foolish talking to a bunch of robes. He stood there for another few minutes, until Harry was beginning to think the noise had only been his imagination, when he heard the noise again. Trusting his instincts, he yelled, "Stupefy!" and aimed his wand into the rack. A jet of red light shot out the tip. Suddenly, half the robes got pulled off of their hangers, seemingly of their own accord, and there was a loud thump on the cold stone floor. He approached the rack warily and prodded the air with his wand. When the wood met something soft, he tapped it and lifted the Disillusionment Charm. Right before his eyes, the black robed man appeared facedown, and half covered with orange robes. Harry rolled him over and gasped. He quickly conjured up two silver stags that burst from the end of his wand. "Go tell Thompson and Finlay that I've got him in the back of the store," Harry instructed them. The first stag turned into the store while the second jumped through the back door, both trailing misty, silver light behind them.

Within moments, Harry could see Finlay sprinting toward him. "You've got him?" Finlay panted.

"Yeah, it's Jugson. He was one of the Death Eaters back at the Department of Mysteries. I recognise him." Harry looked at Jugson passed out on the floor amid the pile of hideous robes. "You can do the honors arresting him," said Finlay, "seeing as it's your first time and all." Harry only nodded, keeping his gaze trained on the man, trying to keep his anger in check.

"On the count of three, I'll revive him, and you do Petrificus Totalus, so he can actually hear what I'm saying, alright?" Finlay gave his assent. "Okay then…one," Harry commanded, adrenaline coursing through his veins. _He deserves it_, he thought. "Two…" Harry thought back to his fifth year at Hogwarts and the battle at the Department of Mysteries, the fear they had all felt, and Sirius… "Three." Jugson's face slackened for a moment, only to freeze up again, though his eyes swiveled from Harry to Finlay in frozen horror.

"I, Harry James Potter, place you, Henry Jugson, under arrest in the name of the Ministry of Magic for assisting Voldemort, attack on innocent people, and attempting to evade capture by three Aurors." Harry let out a huge breath. _That's one less Death Eater free_, he thought.

"Congratulations, Harry," Finlay said, heaving the man up. "First mission a success. Now come on, let's get him back to the Ministry."

**I'm going to make it one of my New Year's resolutions to update more frequently. Please review!**


	4. April 11, 2001

**J.K. Rowling owns everything.**

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><p><strong>April 11, 2001<strong>

The 3-year old turquoise haired boy was frowning petulantly as he was being buckled into the car seat by his godfather. "Hawwy?"

"Yes, Teddy?"

"Why do we have to take a car?"

"Because you're too young to Apparate, and the zoo doesn't have any fireplaces, seeing as it's a Muggle zoo," said Harry, exasperated. It seemed like the fifth time Teddy had asked that question this morning. It was Wednesday, and he had taken a much needed break from work. He had planned to spend it relaxing, when he had been woken up by Andromeda Tonks' patronus flying through the window and announcing that she was sick, and would he _please_ take care of Teddy for the day. Harry agreed reluctantly. He normally loved spending time with his godson, but it was 7 o'clock in the morning, and all he really wanted to do was sleep. He flooed over, picked him up, and brought him back to Number 12, Grimmauld Place.

Harry climbed into the driver's seat of the borrowed Ministry car. "Are you excited, Ted? It's your first time visiting a zoo."

"Mmm hmmm," Teddy mumbled. Harry sighed, "Which animals do you want to see first?"

"Giwaffes. But I also wanna see tigers and monkeys." Teddy continued to talk about all the animals he wanted to see, his tone becoming more and more animated as they drove through London, until Harry pulled into the car park of the zoo. "We're here, Ted!" Harry got out of the car, unbuckled Teddy, and lifted him onto the pavement. Harry looked directly into his hazel eyes and spoke in a very serious voice, "Ted, you have to change your hair to a normal color, and it's going to have to stay that way until we leave, do you understand?"

"Yes, Hawwy." Teddy scrunched up his nose. His hair slowly changed from bright blue, his favorite shade, to jet black. "Now I look just like you!" Harry laughed. "C'mon. Let's go see those giraffes and monkeys." He took the boy's hand and led him to the main entrance. Teddy looked around in wonder while Harry counted out his Muggle money and paid the ticket lady. Harry then picked him up and carried him through the turnstile.

All morning long, Harry took him through the zoo. Teddy was beside himself with enjoyment. At lunchtime, Harry bought them both fish and chips and a large ice cream for Teddy. After they had finished eating, Teddy licking the last drops of chocolate from his fingers, Harry took him to the reptile house. There were lizards and snakes of every size and color. Out of the corner of his eye, Teddy spotted a snake so large, it could have swallowed him whole. He left Harry's side and ran to the exhibit, keeping an eye on his godfather the whole time.

"Hullo, snake. I'm Teddy." The snake stared at him, its yellow eyes boring into his own. "This is my first time to the zoo." The snake continued to stare at him. Teddy watched him for awhile, and then decided he should probably get back to Harry. "Bye, snake!"

When Teddy looked around again, Harry was gone. "Hawwy?" he asked, uncertainly. "Hawwy, where are you?" Teddy felt the beginnings of tears form in his eyes and gave a great sniffle. He remembered what his grandmother had always told him about staying in the same place if he got lost, so he sat down on the ground, right underneath the snake exhibit.

"Hey there, young man," a voice suddenly pulled him out of his thoughts. Teddy looked up to see a nice-looking young woman with light brown hair bending over him. "Are you lost?" He nodded as a few salty tears slipped down his cheeks. "How long have you been sitting here?" Teddy shrugged his shoulders. It felt like ages to him. "Do you know where your parents are?" she asked kindly. Teddy looked up quickly. "I don't know where they are."

"Teddy?" a voice yelled urgently. "Hawwy!" Teddy squealed excitedly. He could just see his anxious face poking out over the crowd. "There you are! I was so worried about you!" Harry noticed the woman. "Thanks for keeping an eye on him."

"No problem. You're his dad?" she asked, eyeing their identical black hair. "Wh- oh, no. He's my godson. I'm just taking care of him for today. Thought I'd take him to the zoo." She nodded. "Thanks, again." repeated Harry. The woman waved at Teddy, then left them.

"Are you all right? I just turned around and you were gone."

"I'm fine," Teddy replied tearfully. "Hawwy?"

"Yes?"

"Where are my pawents?" Harry suddenly felt very uncomfortable. He knelt down to Teddy's height and wiped the tears from his godson's eyes. "They're not here anymore, Teddy. They both loved you a lot, and they're not here so you could be happy and safe."

"So I'm not ever going to see them?"

"You'll see them again someday, but for now you've got your grandmother and you've got me, and we both love you very much." He gave Teddy a huge hug. "You're like me. I don't have my parents anymore either. It's not fair, what happened to you, but life isn't always fair. We just have to make the best of it." Teddy let Harry pick him up. He rested his head on his shoulder, and before he knew it, he was asleep, lost in dreams where he still had a mother and father.


End file.
